Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Estonians will Build a Car Battery Recycling Plant in Slantsy in Russia

The Baltic Course

The owner of Estonian security services company Pristis Indrek Sepp and his partners are establishing a plant for processing used car batteries in Slantsy, which will be the first such plant in North West Russia

Sepp stated that in coming days, a state-initiated expert investigation will be launched on the plant Ecorusmetal. The project is among the most favoured ones in the Leningrad oblast in Russia alongside recycling of tyres and bodies of vehicles, said the plant’s project manager and shareholder Aare Männa.

The battery recycling plant cost nearly 250 million kroons ($21.5M). Ecorusmetal will start producing lead, plastic and acid from the batteries and Estonian entrepreneurs would like to launch operations in the plant in a few months. Talks to include extra investors from Belgium and Russia are under way, which is why the exact date for plant opening isn’t set. Männa said that they want to include Novye Tehnologii, the largest car battery collecting firm in St Petersburg among investors.

50,000 tonnes of used car batteries will be needed to produce nearly 28 tonnes of lead a year which will be exported or sold to Russian car battery producers. The plant will provide jobs for 100 people.